Linfield Bike Co-Op pedals for a sustainable campus culture

Hundreds of students, professors and staff ride bikes, many of them thanks to Linfield’s student-run Bike Co-Op, which provides free loaner bikes and bike maintenance.

“The staff would love to have people visit,” says Jeff McNamee, a health and human performance professor. “The services are all free. The only charge is for parts.”

“The Co-Op provides the space for people to learn routine bike maintenance, such as how to replace a flat tire,” says student Zane Carey ’14, who manages the shop. “The student employees are more than willing to help.”

The center, next to the campus Public Safety Office, was established in the fall of 2009 by students looking to encourage a bike culture on campus and provide a space for the Linfield community to maintain bikes. Students manage the project, and it has received support from the college’s Sustainability Grant Fund and Oregon Campus Compact.

“We wanted to make the Linfield Bike Co-Op a place where people can come together,” said David Kellner-Rode ’11, who helped establish the co-op in 2009. “You don’t have to be an environmentalist to enjoy riding a bike.”